Recently, a small-sized IC chip containing a radio device called an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag and a memory is attracting attention. The RFID tag is also called an IC tag or mu-chip, and a very small square chip of 0.04 mm side has been announced as a non-rewritable ROM type chip.
Conventionally, a copying apparatus which copies an original having this RFID tag is known (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-337426). This reference proposes a technique by which user ID information is input from an operation unit of the copying machine, and written in the RFID tag on an original. In this way, data of a person who copied this original can be stored in the RFID tag and managed.
It is sometimes desirable to limit image read depending on the type of original. For example, a method of limiting scan of an original by forming a watermark on the original is known. In this method, however, the watermark is reflected on all read images. This is inconvenient. Therefore, there are needs of more convenient and flexible techniques allowing image read at least a predetermined number of times.
Also, in some cases a certain parent original is copied to form a child original and this child original is copied to form a grandchild original. When copying is thus repeated over a number of generations, the image deteriorates. Accordingly, it is desirable to avoid, by some means, to repeat image read or copying over a number of generations to such an extent that the image quality of the original is no longer maintainable.